Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation Announces $11.5 Million in New Gifts | Klyde Warren Park | Klyde Warren Park

Monday, April 14, 2008

The Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation today announced $11.5 million in new gifts toward construction of an urban park near downtown Dallas. The 5.2-acre park, which will be built over Woodall Rodgers Freeway between Pearl and St. Paul streets, will connect Uptown, Downtown and the Arts District, and is expected to become a regional attraction.

The Park is a public/private partnership with $20 million coming from the City of Dallas, $20 million through the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), and the remainder from the private sector. The base park is expected to cost approximately $67 million with amenities such as the restaurant, children’s playground, and dog park costing an additional $25-35 million. Construction is scheduled to begin this year, and Foundation officials say a more specific timeline will be available following the completion of the construction documents and the ensuing public bid process.

Recent major gifts include:

$5 million: W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at Communities Foundation of Texas
$2.5 million: Lyn and John Muse
$1 million: Anonymous; Nancy and Randy Best; Museum Tower Founders (inclusive of initial $500,000 gift)
$500,000 – 999,999: Julie and Louis Beecherl
$100,000 – 499,999: Arts District Properties, Ltd.; Billingsley Company; DGBB Foundation; Gables Residential; Granite Properties; Jacobs Carter Burgess; Margaret Jonsson Foundation; Ralph B. Rogers Foundation

The $5 million W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation grant is the second from Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT), and it will be used to fund safety and security features. Charles J. Wyly, Jr., Chairman of the CFT board of trustees, said the grant was made to honor the legacy of W.W. Caruth, Jr.

“Will Caruth understood the fundamental importance of public safety, and its impact on the success of any community gathering place,” Mr. Wyly said.

The performance stage will be named in honor of John and Lyn Muse’s children and the citizens of Dallas. It will have the capacity to entertain 3,300 visitors in conjunction with the Great Lawn.

“These early gifts are critical to our ability to build the infrastructure upon which the dream will be built, and we are extremely grateful to these donors,” said Jody Grant, Chairman of the Foundation.

These gifts are in addition to previously announced donations from Communities Foundation of Texas; Corrigan Properties, Inc.; Hunt Consolidated, Inc.; Jody and Sheila Grant; Lincoln Property Company; DowntownDallas; JPI Companies and the Schubert Family; Museum Tower; Residences at Ritz Carlton-Dallas; Texas Capital Bank; The Real Estate Council; and Uptown Public Improvement District.

About The Park

Woodall Rodgers Park is a 5.2 acre park to be built over Woodall Rodgers Freeway between Pearl Street and St. Paul Street in Dallas, Texas. The Park, which is a public/private partnership, is being designed by The Office of James Burnett in conjunction with the engineering firm of Jacobs Carter Burgess. For more information, please visit www.wrpfoundation.com.

About Communities Foundation of Texas

Communities Foundation of Texas, a public charity founded in 1953, works closely with donors, nonprofits and other funding organizations. CFT offers specialized philanthropic resources, responsible asset management and effective grant making. As the largest community foundation in Texas and one of the largest in the country, CFT professionally manages more than 800 component funds. The foundation has combined assets of more than $800 million, and it has distributed more than $850 million in charitable grants since its inception.

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